Frog

In the year of America’s first black president, it makes sense that Disney would introduce its first black princess. On the surface, this feels revolutionary. Her name isn’t Ariel or Belle. It’s Tiana. And she and all the black characters in “The Princess and the Frog’’ have been drawn, by hand, with an appreciable degree of love and care - wide noses and full lips realistically scaled for each bright, brown face. Even the somewhat stereotypical voodoo man, a light-skinned toothpick with purple pupils and a gap in his teeth you could sail a boat through, looks like one of my uncles.

Scientists are hoping that one of the world's largest frogs is singing songs of love on the tiny Caribbean island of Montserrat and not just singing in the rain. Mating calls would mean the so-called mountain chicken frogs are looking to breed and hopefully dodge extinction. But scientists say the whooping calls they make by night could also be due to the rainy season. The mountain chickens are the offspring of dozens of frogs weighing up to two pounds (0.9 kilograms) that were airlifted to Britain and Sweden in 2009 in hopes of saving them from a deadly fungus that has killed...

WASHINGTON - A frog the size of a bowling ball, with heavy armor and teeth, lived among dinosaurs millions of years ago - intimidating enough that scientists who unearthed its fossils dubbed the beast Beelzebufo, or devil toad. But its size - 10 pounds and 16 inches long - isn't the only curiosity. Researchers discovered the creature's bones in Madagascar. Yet it seems to be a close relative of normal-sized frogs that today live half a world away in South America, challenging assumptions about ancient geography.

The latest Disney on Ice theme, "Dare to Dream," focuses on the girls - sorry, make that princesses. A trio of fables, one old-school ("Cinderella") and two reimagined by Disney with feisty, independent heroines ("The Princess and the Frog" and "Tangled") are brought to life through elegant and athletic skating routines. This time around, the music drives the storytelling, which is not a bad thing, given the impressive range of choreography that allows this incredibly talented troupe of nearly 40 skaters to showcase their skills.

SYDNEY - A species of frog thought to have been extinct for 30 years has been found in rural Australian farmland, officials said yesterday. The rediscovery of the yellow-spotted bell frog is a reminder of the need to protect natural habitats so “future generations can enjoy the noise and color of our native animals,’’ said Frank Sartor, minister for environment and climate change. A fisheries conservation officer stumbled across one of the frogs in October 2008 while researching an endangered fish species in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales state.

It's not easy being green — or staging a comeback. That's exactly what Kermit the Frog and his pals are attempting with "The Muppets," their first big-screen foray since "Muppets in Space" orbited theaters in 1999. In their newest adventure, set for release Nov. 23, Kermit's felt-covered entourage reunite with the help of humans Gary and Mary (Jason Segel and Amy Adams), as well as a new muppet named Walter. During a break from shooting last January on the same Universal Studios soundstage where the original "Phantom of the Opera" was filmed in 1924,...

WASHINGTON - Zoos in the US, Panama, and Mexico are deploying researchers in Central America to develop new ways to fight a fungus blamed for wiping out dozens of frog and amphibian species as part of a project announced yesterday. The Smithsonian Institution is leading six other zoos - among them Zoo New England in Stoneham - and institutes in the Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project, which aims to raise $1.5 million to fight the fast-spreading chytrid fungus. Their protection efforts will focus on a small slice of Panama that...

The latest Disney on Ice theme, "Dare to Dream," focuses on the girls - sorry, make that princesses. A trio of fables, one old-school ("Cinderella") and two reimagined by Disney with feisty, independent heroines ("The Princess and the Frog" and "Tangled") are brought to life through elegant and athletic skating routines. This time around, the music drives the storytelling, which is not a bad thing, given the impressive range of choreography that allows this incredibly talented troupe of nearly 40 skaters to showcase their skills.

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Makes 12 Large turkey sausage works better than breakfast links, but either kind will do; if using smaller links, simply press several smaller pieces into each muffin. Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Butter (for the pan) 1 pound turkey sausage 1 1/2 cups flour 1 cup yellow cornmeal 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup (1 stick)

Zoo Atlanta officials say a rare tree frog whose species is now believed to be extinct in the wild had to be euthanized after a decline in his health. The Rabbs' fringe-limb tree frog was believed to be one of the last two of its kind left on Earth. Zoo officials said Friday the frog was euthanized to prevent suffering and to preserve genetic material for research. The species was identified by Zoo Atlanta herpetology curator Joseph Mendelson during a 2005 trip to Panama. Mendelson says a pathogen known as the amphibian chytrid fungus has been killing off frog species in the wild.

TCU was able to hang with No. 17 San Diego State for several minutes Saturday night, even taking a 23-16 lead thanks to five 3-point shots. Then it started to go sideways for the Horned Frogs, who quickly gave up the lead and lost 83-73. Jamaal Franklin had 24 points and 11 rebounds for the Aztecs, who clinched their seventh straight 20-win season. James Rahon added 16, Chase Tapley 14 and DeShawn Stephens 13 for the Aztecs (20-3, 6-1 Mountain West). SDSU has eight 20-win seasons overall in 13 seasons under coach Steve Fisher, including last year's school-record 34-3...

JAN. 26-28 SAN FRANCISCO Zinfandel Festival: It's all Zin all the time at this three-day festival celebrating what organizers call the "authentically American varietal. " The plucky grape has come a long way since the Association of Zinfandel Advocates and Producers (ZAP) was founded in 1991 to advance the vineyard "underdog. " Zinfandel vines now cover more than 50,000 acres and festival-goers can try to taste subtle terroir differences at the self-billed "world's largest single varietal tasting.

A frog species believed to be extinct has hopped back into sight in northern Israel. Omri Gal of Israel's Nature and Parks Authority said Thursday the Hula Painted Frog was seen for the first time in 50 years this week. He said it was declared extinct. Gal said, "It's an amazing find, now we have a second chance to preserve the species. " The frog is native to the Hula Valley, a swamp drained in the 1950s to stop malaria. Aquatic ecologist Dana Milstein says the frog was rare even before, and little is known...

It's not easy being green — or staging a comeback. That's exactly what Kermit the Frog and his pals are attempting with "The Muppets," their first big-screen foray since "Muppets in Space" orbited theaters in 1999. In their newest adventure, set for release Nov. 23, Kermit's felt-covered entourage reunite with the help of humans Gary and Mary (Jason Segel and Amy Adams), as well as a new muppet named Walter. During a break from shooting last January on the same Universal Studios soundstage where the original "Phantom of the Opera" was filmed in 1924, Kermit (with some...

WASHINGTON - Frogs, salamanders, and other amphibians may eventually have no safe haven left on the globe because of a triple threat of worsening scourges, a new study predicts. Scientists have long known that amphibians are under attack from a killer fungus, climate change, and shrinking habitat. In the study appearing online yesterday in the journal Nature, computer models project that in about 70 years those three threats will spread, leaving no part of the world immune from one of the problems.

TCU can’t reach the BCS without a win over BYU. With all those letters, it almost sounds like an algebra equation with an answer that may not be reached for another month. But at least part of it will be solved tonight when No. 10 Texas Christian visits 16th-ranked Brigham Young The Horned Frogs (6-0, 2-0) are the only unbeaten team in the Mountain West Conference and are trying to remain in contention for a Bowl Championship Series berth, knowing that one loss will knock them out of the running.

No. 20 TCU and SMU are still playing their grudge match 16 years after they were last conference rivals. Conference realignment is threatening or has already changed storied series such as Texas-Texas A&M and Oklahoma-Nebraska. But there have been only three times since 1925 that TCU and SMU haven't played for bragging rights around Dallas-Fort Worth. "For us being across town, I think it's because of location and it's always like a home game," TCU coach Gary Patterson said.